52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge: Week 2

Week 2: Spouse/Significant Other

Can you believe it’s already been a week since our last challenge? If you’re looking for Week one’s post, you can find it here. I found the love of my life (of course, I didn’t know that at the time) sitting across the room in our high school chemistry class. You see, I was terrible at chemistry and was still trying to figure out why the heck I was even in this class. I was bad at chemistry and even worse at paying attention in class. One day during this fateful class period, both mine and my now Fiance were without a partner for a group activity. The teacher suggested I move over to where he was sitting so I could have a partner. After the activity was over, I remember doodling on my notes sheet attempting to draw a Yoshi. If you don’t know who Yoshi is, imagine a cute green dinosaur basically. I was almost as terrible at drawing as I was at chemistry, but I didn’t need to be good at drawing to pass this class. You’re probably thinking, Lindsey, what on earth does this have to do with being grateful? Just give me a minute, I promise everything comes together in the end!

In that moment after noticing what I was attempting to draw, my Fiance had two options. Option 1: tell me how cute that little Yoshi was and then proceed to start a conversation about how he too enjoyed playing Super Mario games. Then there was Option 2, he could proceed to tell me how my drawing looked nothing like a Yoshi and that it was terrible. The first thing we realized we had in common with each other, was our love for video games. However, it was not because he went with option 1. At the time, I sat there thinking “let’s see you draw a better Yoshi you jerk!”

Now that I’m more mature older, when I look back on that moment, I think about how my Fiance had a choice that day. He could have come up with some sweet story about how amazing I was at drawing (even though I sucked) but instead chose to tell me the truth. It would take some time before I admired this quality in him, but it is one that I’m so grateful for. My Fiance is not afraid to tell me when I suck or when I can do better. He’s a constant supporter in all of my wild and crazy endeavors, but when given the choice, he is not afraid to tell it like it is.

I’m grateful to have someone in my life who doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff, or who isn’t afraid to tell me when I blow it. He’ll always be in the front row cheering me on, but isn’t afraid to let me know the things I did wrong after the curtain closes. This is something I’ve grown to appreciate over the years, and something I really admire about him. There are so many things he does for me on a daily basis, but one of the things I’m most grateful for is his honesty. Even when it’s brutal.

What are you grateful for when it comes to your spouse or significant other?